What Martin wants to see from final fall scrimmage

New Mexico State starts a normal fall schedule next week, making Saturday's closed scrimmage the last chance some players have to make a case for playing time before the Aggies start to get ready for Florida next week.

"Offensively I want to see us take care of the football again, we have been doing that well in fall camp and I want to see that continue and I want to see us play physical in the run game," Aggies head coach Doug Martin said. "On defense, being able to take the ball away and then the run game. We have shown improvement. We are not where we need to be but we have shown improvement."

Martin said he has been working with QB Tyler Rogers, trying to put him in bad situations in terms of down and distance or play call to force him to check down or adjust on the fly.

"We had a first down play in the red zone and I called a play with four vertical receivers and if you do that, it's really got to be open if you are going to throw it, but he checked it down the running back for 15 yards," Martin said. "I am trying to make him think and take care of the ball. ... We don't really audible but he has a lot of freedom to change his read from one side to the other depending on what he sees."

From a team standpoint after the fall, I asked Martin for a positive and a concern with two weeks until the season starts.

"The last couple days, I have seen us play more physical, which is why we have been in full pads every day," Martin said. "It's not where we it to be. I think we have great team chemistry here. I think they are excited about what they can be."

From an injury standpoint, Martin said redshirt sophomore right tackle Thomas McGwire and sophomore defensive tackle Kourtland Busby will both miss the Florida game, but should be able to return at some point, possibly for the Georgia State game. Both players are projected starters but I feel Busby's loss will be felt more if it's for an extended period of time. Busby has the highest ceiling of any interior defensive lineman I've seen, although freshman Cedric Wilcotts is intriguing.

The offensive line should be OK, perhaps moving Andy Cunningham to right tackle and moving Abe Holland up to starter at guard.

I asked Doug Martin if there were a player or players who have surpassed expectations in the fall. I did the same last year when running back Larry Rose III started to show up on the radar.

This year's players were freshman linebacker Terril Hanks, defensive end Jassavia Reese and freshman receiver OJ Clark. Hanks has moved up to practice extensively with the starters at what seems to be both the Sam and Will spots.